Software Review of:
Photo Express Version 3.0 
Platinum 2000 

Have you ever been really excited about a particular piece of software, opened the box, and much to your horror find a User’s Guide that is 500+ pages long?  Well, that is always my fear, but not with Photo Express. Ulead Systems has created something for me, the user-guide challenged individual. Inside this beautiful box I found a beautiful 48 page User Guide with pictures of everything from set-up to making a web greeting card. I don’t know about you, but if you don’t show it to me or I don’t get it. I love this guide! 

The three modes that you can create in are the Album mode, the Photo mode and the Project mode. You can move between these three modes at any time. Every mode has a workspace that allows you to view and edit your image or project. At the corner of your workspace is a box for Guide Tips that walk you through the basics of a function. Occasionally a Hints box will pop up and give you more detailed tips on how to use certain features. The Toolbar contains all of the tools you need to edit your photos. Each group of tools is divided into categories – when you select a new category, the tools on the Toolbar change accordingly. Next to the Toolbar is the Options Panel, which shows all the different possibilities and tools available for any given function. This is where can customize settings for the specific tool you are using (i.e. red-eye removal intensity).

The starting point in Photo Express is the Album Mode. This is where you put your photos, media files, and project files into the actual program, and then create and organize them into “books”, giving you access to these files directly from Photo Express. These books contain thumbnails of all the images, as well as links and information about the images. The Organize command category allows you to create new album, or simply reorganize images, media files, and projects in the existing albums. The images in each album are arranged so as to view one, four or sixteen thumbnails at a time. Viewing a single photo will allow you to see details. The Get command gives you access to a variety of images and media files from CDs, scanners, digital cameras, video cameras or previously established files. You can then place these images in your album.

The Photo mode allows you to edit the photos in your albums, and prepare them for projects by adding special effects or just touching them up a bit. You can crop your photos, sharpen or retouch the picture, flip the image, add color, warp the image, use special lens techniques, or outline only the part of the image you want to use. If you want to work with a specific are of the image, say the face, you can edit the image without affecting the rest of the photo. You can also cut and paste them into other projects or images. Adding text to your projects is simple in Photo mode. There are 30 fonts to choose from, and by using the Text Style, Alignment, and Fill options, you can further enhance your text. The Project mode allows you to create customized greeting cards, calendars, invitations and much more utilizing over 500 professionally designed templates, 400+ sample photos, 1,200 ready-to-use props, and 200+ edges, frames and backgrounds. Photo projects include bookmarks, body switches, business cards, certificates, flyers, greeting cards, holiday cards, invitations, labels, magazine covers, movie posters, picture frames, postcards, scrapbook pages, sports cards and more!
Once you have created your masterpiece, you can send it via e-mail under the Share command. If you are really computer savvy, you can share your photo by outputting them to HTML web pages to share with the entire world. By using one of the multitudes of templates, you can send web cards that will delight your friends and family. Your web card can include photos, videos, sound, and more. Web show provides a fast and convenient way to create your own slide show on a web page, or burn it to a CD.

Other programs that are included are Ulead COOL 360 and Ulead Photo Assistant. COOL 360 creates interactive 360 or wide-angle panoramas from a series of photos in just three steps. Share “immersive” views of your world with friends via e-mail or on web pages. Photo Assistant helps you easily acquire and enhance photos directly in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint for great presentations and reports.

The price for this product ranges from $39.00 to $59.99. 

Ulead Systems, Inc.
970 West 190th Street, Suite 520
Torrance, CA 90502
(310) 523-9393.